Stories from a real life cowpuncher that will give you a smile and a glimpse of God.

Hammerhead by Jake Hershey

by Kevin on March 22, 2011

Today’s post is by a great preacher from the Lonestar Cowboy Church in Mexia, Texas. The way he puts some of these “hard to understand church words” just needs to be shared. Take a moment and let God speak to you through the words of a cowboy.

Okay, so….redeemed, justified, sanctified. I’m gonna put this in terms that we can all understand…because I’m a preacher…I know what most of these big words mean (even though I don’t use’m)…I feel like it’s part of my job as a preacher to constantly keep learning..so I read books on theology and being a Christian, etc. but the rest of ya ain’t preachers and maybe you don’t read a lot of books..but you still want to and need to understand these concepts…and most of ya have been to a horse sale…….

Let’s say you’ve got a son…let’s say you tell your son if he gets all A’s in school, that you’ll go to the horse sale and he can pick out any horse he wants…so your son gets all A’s and you’re like “That’s amazing son, I’m so proud of you. Because of what you’ve done, we’re gonna go to the sale and you can pick out any horse you want.” ….and you get to the sale and you see all kinds of purty nice horses, but your son never speaks up…let’s say the sale’s almost over when they run in this big ol’ hammerheaded, strawberry roan. You can tell he’s had a rough life and it looks like he’s been used hard and underfed…he’s been a slave to his current master.

And your son says, “Daddy, that’s the one I want.” About then the auctioneer says, “Ol’ hammerhead is 16 year old, he’s been there, done that…they’ve cowboyed on him some, picked up on him, team roped, calf roped, tripped steers, barrel raced on him..he’s done it all…..and he’s thrown every one of’em off…”

He says, “that’s right..ol’ hammerhead has been all over the world, seen and done just about everything…and he won’t quit buckin’…not only that, but don’t get too close to his hammerhead, ‘cause he’s liable to bite ya. And don’t walk too close to his hammerhind…cause he’s liable to kick ya.”

Everyone at the sale knows where Hammerhead is goin’. He’s not worth much in their eyes, so he’s goin’ to the killers..his life is over.

And you say, “Son, this horse isn’t worthy…he hasn’t done what he needs to do make it on our place.”

But your son says, “Daddy, you told me I could have any horse and I want hammerhead.”

So what do you do? You listen to your son, you let him vouch for Hammerhead…and you buy him out of his life of slavery…..THAT’S REDEMPTION.

Even though he’s not worthy in your eyes because of what he’s done, you accept him, you welcome him onto your place because of what your son has done….THAT’S JUSTIFICATION.

And after you get him home, you start to work with him..you start to mold him into the horse that you know he can be….THAT’S SANCTIFICATION.

And ain’t we all just a bunch of Hammerheads? Every single one of us has bucked, kicked and bit our way thru life. We’ve done things so that we could never be acceptable to a God who hates sin….so why would he want us on his place?

Because his son saw you….he saw you and he said, “Daddy, that’s the one I want……you told me because of what I did I could have anyone I want and THAT’S THE ONE I WANT.”

Not because of anything you’ve done, but because of what Jesus did…you can be REDEEMED, JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED.

All you have to do is ask him for it.

And thank God for that…..Amen?

I will most definitely have to say Amen Jake!!!

If cowboy stories like this kind of reach in and grab a hold of your guts like a bronc rider does a night latch,

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